Resolutions for the New Year

I spent the last week figuring out and floating through the resolutions I came up with at the end of last year. Resolutions are kind of a funny thing for me as I like a good challenge. While some folks make resolutions on a whim, I usually spend most of December thinking about what I would like to become in the next year. How can I get better as a human on this planet?

Some to the resolutions were hard like riding my mountain bike for 100 miles around a volcano (also dumb, but a great challenge). Some are for the better, like not going to fast food restaurants for a year (2018's challenge). Sometimes I fail, but most of the time I look at them like challenges in a game needing to be beaten.

OK so enough typing and on to things that I think will make me a better human in 2019 AKA my New Year's Resolutions.

Journal Everyday

Before this year my journalling consisted of me putting ideas down in notebooks I received as swag from IT conferences from IT vendors. While it works, I really wanted to go deeper. I tried bullet journalling a while ago and felt like it was too much of a bother to form a habit, but the ideas are sound. So this year my daily journaling will consist of bullet points, with shapes focusing a few items [note: shapes made with a Mac, so you may not be able to see them]:

> Thoughts ○ Thankfulness - Resolutions □ Workout results, thoughts△ un-assigned yet, but will come up with something as I journal more

So far this week has been pretty good for the journal, and I've noticed that thoughts stay consistent for a few days and my mind is much calmer.

Exercise Everyday #NoRestDays

As many of the readers know I workout a lot more than the average IT guy. After going through Cancer in 2006 and beating it I realized that the next time it comes [if and when] I want to be fully ready. I was lucky in that I was younger and rode my bike a lot back then, but it still was amazingly hard to beat. As I get older I noticed my healing times are taking longer and longer as my body slows down.

This resolution is to combat the Friday rest day that turns into a "rest weekend" that is blowing up my gains from the previous four days of lifting or cardio. So this year, the plan is to do a minimum of 15 minutes of exercise, no matter what, everyday. This could be going for a hike, running, cycling, or even the "15 minute push-up, squat, plank challenge" we do at work. The idea is to just get out there, as 15 minutes usually turns into more for me and gets me off the couch.

Find a new career position internally or externally

This one I've contemplated whether or not to post this on the blog, but I figure it is one of the resolutions I am tracking, so why the heck not.

While I enjoy where I work, I've been in the current position for about four years and feel that I am ready to find a new challenge. I found that last year my getting certified as a Blockchain developer only enhanced my love for the Ethereum community and would like to explore that a bit deeper.

Launch a business

I've had this yearning for years to start something of my own again. One of the challenges I face daily in my thinking is how do I build something that provides value for others in that they are willing to pay for it on a consistent basis? I can engineer systems, program apps, heck even understand how Blockchains work, but I always seem to fail at cashing in on the ideas. My friends and family always say I should just start it, so this year I am.

Take my Mom to Ireland

One of the things my Mom and I have been researching is our ancestry and find it incredibly enjoyable to know where we are from. Most of the trails lead to Ireland, so this year we are going to go. Hopefully we can track down some distant relatives, but mainly it will be a fun excuse to go back to Europe.

Restrict my coffee intake to one 8oz cup per day

The hardest resolution on the list!

I love my morning coffee, a little too much. So, this year instead of being the "all day" coffee drinker, I will be cutting my intake back drastically. So far as we are a week into the New Year, I am finding that one 8oz cup will work just right. I've tried cutting it out completely, but always ended up going back to more.

The reasoning is to drop my sugar intake and acid build up. This one will probably have the most impact on my year, so I look forward to seeing how the challenge works out. Anyone bet I lose a bunch of weight, just by going from 32oz to 8oz?

Drink 2 bottles of water a day

I use to drink a lot of water in Colorado, but got away from it being here in damp Oregon. Since I will be cutting the coffee intake, I will be replacing it with water. This will hopefully see some side benefits in my workouts, and general life.

Ride the Banks to Vernonia trail out and back

This one is probably the easiest on the list as I already rode it in my 100 mile bike race training in 2012. I wanted to ride this trail again as I really enjoyed the beauty of the Oregon countryside and forests.

There you have it, a bunch of resolutions on the wall ready to be completed.

What are your resolutions? Give me a shout on Twitter, or Linkedin and lets chat about making 2019 a great year.